


I should have known

by Darling_Angel



Category: Dragon Age: Inquisition
Genre: Modern Character in Thedas, dream walking, obscure knowledge, yarn making
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-15
Updated: 2017-12-15
Packaged: 2019-02-15 01:38:02
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,150
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13020531
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Darling_Angel/pseuds/Darling_Angel
Summary: It started with the dreams, it all did really. I didn't know, couldn't have known, until it was too late.





	I should have known

It started with the dreams, they were all so real, but I told myself that they were only dreams, nothing more. I'd fall asleep and I'd live as someone else, I would walk in their steps, and see the world as only they could. Sometimes in my dreams, I was in the woods, it was far from anyone or anything. I'd run, and try to climb the tallest tree, I always woke before I reached the top. 

Other times I tended to wonderful deer-like animals, they listened to me as I spoke to them, and pulled beautiful wagons during the day. I looked forward to the songs and stories at night, but I never heard the end of them.

I was so many people at night, and I never realized it was a dream till I woke. It was always so real.

But for one night, when the hole in the sky appeared. I was in a village, I wanted to see the conclave, it was full of soldiers and mages, and a wonderful woman who hoped to unite the people. There were people from every walk of life, every kind of life. I was content to watch as the rest of the people came day by day, while the sun was out I made candles for the people who needed them. People had brought animal fat, and oils, and scents, and those who never learned to make candles from them brought them to me. The rich were eager, and usually gave me a number doubting I could make use of all of it, I gave the excess to the chantry mothers who knew how to fill needs better than I.

At night I used my supply of candles to knit, I'd roll the wool, or fur, or fabric, and I'd make it into yarn. And once I had the yarn I made fabric. It was cold here, and no one had spare clothes, so I was determined to make sweaters out of fabric. They weren't going to be pretty, but they would be warm, and I had a feeling that would be all that mattered. The old and thin fabric made practical yarn, which in turn made my bulky fabric warmer. Anything I made out of it was not going to be pretty, but it would be warm and that was enough. 

It was a different dream than normal that I would be there for so many days, but before then I had always woken up. Before then I never realized it was a dream until I was awake.

I was there for a week when the first meeting was to happen. I was setting the last batch of candles when the world shook, and the sky tore. The heavens opened and I begged to wake, because I did not want to die, and it seemed my death was imminent. But something had broken, and I could no longer separate myself from this reality. 

When I did not wake I set my things in the cabin I had been using, gathered anything I thought might help, and rushed the wreckage. I knew what things like that could do, but if I could save even one life I would. So much had been lost, perhaps peace between the factions would never come now.

There were demons, and the soldiers were trying to keep me back but when their backs turned I checked every body, swearing as not a one had a pulse, not a one I could save. Suddley a rift opened, and out of it fell a girl. The soldiers stood stunned, so I ran to her as the rift closed, leaving the other woman on the other side. There was a pulse, I knew I had a chance at keeping her alive. Too scared she might die on the way to safety I ignored the light in her hand and the way she had bodily come from the fade.

I shouted, begged the soldiers to help me carry her. When they didn't, only cursing at the light in her hand, I quietly begged her to be light and took her in my arms. I was lucky to survive presenting magic since the first thing I did was levitate her an inch above my arms and carry her to safety. I could feel the shock of the soldiers I had seen in passing many times, I knew that if she died I would be blamed, but I could not bring myself to care.

When I collapsed at the edge of an encampment I felt drained in a way I never had before, as blackness overtook my vision I managed to tell the knight in front of me that she was the only one. The last thing I saw was the anger on his face, and the fur on his pauldron moving gently in the wind.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I woke, wondering if it was the middle of the night with how dark it was, I was cold, I must have kicked my blankets off. It happened sometimes. I opened my eyes to find my glasses and cursed. I was in a dungeon, there was a single guard. I curled in on myself and cursed the gods that had put me here.

"Where is the mage?"

The guard in front of my cell saluted, "Over here, ser."

As my cell door was opened the knight I collapsed in front of walked in. His hand was on the hilt of his sword, but his face was crumpled and tired, "What business did you have at the conclave?"

"It was history in the making, I just wanted to see it happen. I kept my hands busy day and night with needs I could fill." I kept my eyes on my hands, picking the wax that had splashed while I was making the last batch of candles, maybe the last batch I'd ever make.

"Did you present as a mage before last night?"

"No, I thought I was too old, I was content to make things, to work with my hands." I kept picking at my hands, hands I thought I could leave behind, but now they're mine. Perhaps forever.

"Did you know the prisoner that fell from the rift?"

"No, I just wanted to save someone, it happened so fast, I wanted to do what I could. When the soldiers paused, I acted." I wondered now if putting myself in harm's way was the right thing.

"Is there any way we can confirm your loyalties?"

"No ser, I've lived a quiet life, not many people I know, not many people know me."

"We're letting you out, for now, the cabin you were using was searched, but you may use it again. You will be watched, but as you have been helping since before the disaster we're only going to be keeping an eye on you."


End file.
